Cavs Assistant Playing With The Big Boys

Virginia's Mike London is named defensive line coach for the Houston Texans.

Talent, timing and connections allowed Virginia assistant coach Mike London to reach the pinnacle of his profession.

London, the Cavaliers' defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, is the new defensive line coach of the NFL's Houston Texans.

"It's really exciting," London said Saturday from his home in Charlottesville. "You're coaching some of the best athletes in the world and you're surrounded by some of the best coaches in the world. Everybody in football wants to get to the NFL. If you're a player, you want to play in the league, and if you're a coach, you want to coach there."

London, 44, grew up in Hampton and played at Bethel High and the University of Richmond. His coaching career has taken him to UR, William and Mary, Boston College and Virginia.

He is the fourth coach from Al Groh's staff to leave for positions in the NFL. Corwin Brown and Andy Heck departed a year ago. Bill Musgrave, recently named the Washington Redskins' quarterbacks coach, left two years ago.

"I'm very grateful to Al for the chance he gave me to come back here," said London, who recruited the Peninsula and Norfolk, among other areas. "The program was already very good, but I think we moved it up a notch, and I'd like to think I had something to do with that."

London wasn't even considering the NFL until a recent chain of events. Former Texans' defensive line coach Todd Grantham joined new Browns coach Romeo Crennel in Cleveland.

The Texans run a 3-lineman, 4-linebacker defensive scheme, as does Virginia, and Texans head coach Dom Capers quizzed his staff on possible replacements for Grantham.

Enter Tony Oden. The Texans' defensive assistant and quality control coach was a graduate assistant at Boston College when London was with the Eagles, and the two became friends.

Oden recommended London to Capers, as did Texans scout Tom Throckmorton, a longtime college assistant in the region who coached London when he was a player at Richmond. Throckmorton had plenty of occasions to evaluate London's players, and London himself, in recent years and endorsed him to Texans' general manager Charley Casserly as well.

Capers invited London to Houston for an interview last week and offered him the job at the end of their day-long session Wednesday. London returned to Charlottesville, discussed it with his wife, Regina, and Groh then accepted the job.

"It's funny how things happen sometimes," London said. "If you treat people right and work hard, opportunities arise."

Timing is a critical component of London's move because of his family. Mike and Regina London's daughter, Ticynn, was born with a rare genetic disorder, Fanconi anemia, that weakens the immune system and makes its victims susceptible to leukemia and other cancers.

The Londons went to Boston College only because they knew Ticynn would receive top-flight medical care. The same with their move to Virginia because of the proximity to Johns Hopkins and the U.Va. medical system.

Mike London eventually donated bone marrow to his daughter in April 2003, helping regenerate Ticynn's immune system.

She has recovered well, to the point where he could more comfortably consider job opportunities if they arose.

"We endured so much with Ticynn's situation, that always had to be our priority," London said. "I don't know if you call it divine will or whatever, but the fact that I was able to be a bone marrow donor and she's recovering, you had to think something good was eventually going to come out of it."

London would not reveal specifics of the salary increase he will receive with the Texans, saying only that it is "significant." But dollars are not the primary lure.

"There are 32 guys who are NFL defensive line coaches and now I'm one of them," he said. "I've had the chance to coach first-round draft picks and All-Americans. Now the stakes are higher. I have a chance to help guys achieve their dreams at a higher level. I can help them become All-Pros and reach Pro Bowls. That's exciting." *